A/N: Here's Chapter Six Deadly Life Part Seven. Please read, review, and enjoy!
Danganronpa 4: Next Generation Killing!
Chapter Six: Goodbye Danganronpa!
Deadly Life Part Seven: The Mastermind Exposed!
"I was in the Laundry Room with Teruaki." Sokyu recalled. "It's impossible for me to have killed Rantaro."
"Gonta didn't kill Rantaro either! Gonta was taking a bath with Seven."
"I was in my room, by myself…and so was Ryoma." Keebo grimaced and admitted, "I know that is a poor alibi, but…I did not kill Rantaro!"
"I was in the Dining Hall, and so was Tsumugi." Kirumi's brow furrowed. "Though she did leave briefly to use the bathroom…"
"It's true, I did go to the bathroom for a few minutes." Tsumugi nodded. "But still…I couldn't have killed Rantaro!"
Kiki paled, denying, No…it…it can't be…but…it's the only one that… Swallowing the lump in her throat, she pointed directly at the young cosplayer. "No that's wrong! Wait a minute, Tsumugi."
"Huh?"
"…You said you went to the bathroom. The girls bathroom near the Dining Hall…right?"
"Y-Yeah…what about it?"
Kirumi tilted her head in confusion. "Did either of you investigate the girls bathroom?"
"Ano, well…" Kiki fiddled with her braid. "Not directly, but…" Kiki took a deep breath. "The Hidden Room has more than one entryway."
Ryoma raised an eyebrow. "More than one entryway?"
"That's right." Shuichi nodded. "Kiki stumbled upon it behind a trap door in the Data Room. It's a secret elevator that brings you directly to the Hidden Room in the blink of an eye."
"A secret elevator?!" Keebo exclaimed in shock.
"Okay, so you found a secret elevator." Sokyu stared at Shuichi. "That still doesn't explain how the girls bathroom is connected."
"I can explain that too." Shuichi assured them. "After Kiki exited the Hidden Room through the secret door in the back of the Library, we rode the elevator into the Hidden Room together. When we got in, I noticed an input device near the wall where the elevator was hidden."
"Okay, so what does it control?"
What does the panel in the secret room control…? Shuichi mused, closing his eyes.
Tuning out the distractions of the courtroom, he focused on separating and manipulating his thoughts. Once he could make sense of the competing messages, he rearranged them into a single word.
D-E-S-T-I-N-A-T-I-O-N! That spells DESTINATION! I see now! "The elevator's destination." He answered upon opening his eyes. "That elevator allows you to travel to any room in the school. Which means it's possible to get into the Hidden Room from that bathroom!"
"What?" Tsumugi paled.
"Around the time Rantaro was killed, Tsumugi went to that exact bathroom. I'm positive that when Rantaro was killed, the culprit was in the Hidden Room. It's too convenient to be coincidence."
"Plus, when we first investigated the 5th Floor and the Dorms…" Kiki recalled "Kaede and I looked around the girls bathroom, but because we weren't professional detectives, we never found the hidden entry point. Shuichi would've found it, but since he was a boy…"
"I see…" Kirumi's eyes flashed in realization. "The Mastermind knew he wouldn't dare go into the girls bathroom, so they picked that bathroom as their entry point in order to secure an appropriate alibi."
"H-Hold on." Tsumugi interjected. "This is all so sudden, I don't think I understand."
"Yeah, Gonta…doesn't really understand either. Maybe they got there from the hidden door in the Library instead."
"But the Library was practically booby-trapped, thanks to Kaede and Shuichi and Kiki's hidden cameras." Ryoma pointed out.
"If that is the case, then entering from the hidden door seems too risky to be practical." Kirumi concurred.
"Don't forget, this is the Mastermind we're talking about." Sokyu countered. "Common sense shouldn't even apply to someone twisted enough to throw us into this kind of shit."
"While I do trust Shuichi's deduction, I do believe that we should at least consider this countertheory that they used the hidden door." Keebo admitted. "It would be foolish of us to completely ignore the possibility while it has yet to be completely disproven."
"Hold it right there!"Monokuma interjected, causing everyone to turn towards him. "Seems like you're pretty evenly split on this very important decision. So, Kibou University is proud to present its very own morphenomenal trial grounds!"
"Greeeeaaaaat…" Sokyu sighed in exasperation as Monokuma turned his key in the lock. "We just had to be divided on this issue…"
I understand the others' reluctance to believe it. Kiki admitted as their podiums started to spiral towards the ceiling. Honestly, part of me is with them. Because…to accept that the Mastermind used the girls bathroom…means suspecting Tsumugi…!
We can't back down now! Shuichi's eyes narrowed in determination while their podiums separated into two parallel lines. No matter how hard it is, we have to all be on the same page! We have to agree on how the Mastermind entered and exited the Hidden Room!
Debate Scrum Split Opinion: Where did the Mastermind enter the Hidden Room?
The Library! Gonta, Tsumugi, Sokyu, K1-B0
The Girls Bathroom! Kiki, Shuichi, Kirumi, Ryoma
"I suspect they found a way to maneuver around the interval timers!" Keebo postulated, only for Shuichi to shake his head.
"The only way around the interval timers is to move after a photo has been taken."
"Maybe the photos from the cameras might have a clue?" Tsumugi suggested.
Ryoma pursed his lips. "The photos didn't show anyone entering the library before Rantaro's death."
"What if someone managed to hack the camera and stop it from taking a picture?" Sokyu suggested.
"Monokuma made quite clear that it's impossible to hack into this school." Kirumi countered.
"Could Keebo have made a mistake when modifying the cameras?" Gonta pondered.
"I trust Keebo to have done his best work!" Kiki rejected. "I don't think he'd make a mistake with something so important!"
"Is there any proof that the Mastermind didn't use the Hidden Door?" Tsumugi questioned.
"The dust still on the card reader is proof that the Mastermind didn't use the Hidden Door." Shuichi argued.
All participants slammed their hands on their podiums and narrowed their eyes in a glaring contest. Burning with passion, neither side refused to give an inch in their tug of war. Eventually, though, Gonta, Tsumugi, Sokyu, and Keebo faltered, allowing Kiki, Shuichi, Kirumi, an Ryoma to raise their hands to their opponents and shatter the argument with a thunderous bellow.
"THIS IS OUR ANSWER!"
"Remember that I had placed dust in the card reader in the Library." Shuichi pointed out once the podiums returned to their standard positions. "I was trying to determine if the Hidden Door was opened with the card reader."
"But the dust didn't fall." Kiki recalled. "That means nobody used that card reader."
Sokyu's eyes lit up in comprehension. "So…to enter the hidden room, they would need to use a different route."
"The girls bathroom." Ryoma concluded.
"Yes, I believe that's the case." Shuichi affirmed. "The culprit entered the Hidden Room from the girls bathroom on the 5th Floor…and after taking the elevator to the Data Room, watched the situation in the Library unfold. As soon as they saw that Kaede's plan failed, they raced to the Hidden Room, and leaped out, shot put ball in hand."
Kiki nodded. "The hidden door could open from the inside, so there was no need to use the card reader. In any case, the culprit attacked Rantaro with a shot put ball, left it in the Library…picked up the shot that Kaede had used, and returned to the Hidden Room."
"And they also took the Willing Participant Perk Tablet that Rantaro had, right?" Kirumi questioned.
"Yes." Shuichi confirmed. "Then they left the tablet and the shot in the hidden room, took the elevator back to the girls bathroom…and returned to the Dining Hall."
"Are you saying the one who did it…was Tsumugi…?"
Gonta paled as Tsumugi shook her head. "N-No…it has to be…some kind of mistake. Up till now, everything pointed to the Mastermind not being one of us!"
"Is Tsumugi even capable of doing all this?" Sokyu's brow furrowed skeptically. "She's just a cosplayer, y'know?"
"Y-Yeah! All this would be impossible for just some cosplayer!"
"But you said that you went to the bathroom during Rantaro's murder." Shuichi reminded her, narrowing his eyes. "How can you possible refute that fact?"
"Refute? It's…it's all just a coincidence…" Tsumugi's eyes lit up and she pointed at Keebo and Ryoma. "Oh! Those two didn't have alibis. What if they went to the girls bathro-"
Kiki narrowed her eyes. "Did you see one of them in the girls bathroom?"
Tsumugi sputtered, barely able to speak. "What?"
"If one of the boys had gone into the bathroom, you would have seen each other, right? Even if we weren't investigating a murder, you would have reported it right away. But you never mentioned that."
"Th-That's…"
Sokyu glared at Tsumugi's sweating face. "…Shirogane, what's the meaning of this?"
Dumbfounded, Keebo questioned "Can this…really be true?"
"…Tsumugi…" A reluctant Gonta asked "…is this true?"
"N-No, it's not!" Tsumugi fervently denied. "I really only went to use the bathroom. I didn't know about the hidden elevator passage!"
An irritated Shuichi glared at the panicking cosplayer. "Tsumugi, you don't have any evidence to refute our accusations, do you-?"
"That's beary wrong!"Monokuma interjected, redirecting Shuichi's attention towards him. "If I don't stop you here and now, I'll have failed as a villainous mascot! And even worse, I'll get deactivated! I still wanna live longer! I wanna host the next Killing game! So please – let me win!"
"…What?" An incredibly dumbfounded Shuichi questioned, only for Monokuma's pleadings to get more and more wild.
"Please! Please let me win!"
Rebuttal Showdown -Truth Blade-: Monokuma vs Shuichi!
"I don't wanna get deactivated!" Monokuma wailed.
I would actually love it if you shut down for good… Shuichi admitted to himself.
"There's never been another bear mascot like me! I'm one of a kind!"
Hell would freeze over if there were more of you.
"I dunno what Four-Eyes is talking about."
You know exactly what Tsumugi's talking about.
"Bad guys never wear glasses!"
That's just a stereotype, and not even a good one.
"Anyway, just cut it out!"
No, I won't!
"I don't wanna die!"
Shuichi snorted, furiously glaring and pointing at the begging bear. "You and the Mastermind deserve none of my pity. You don't wanna die!? Do you know how many of my friends were sacrificed!? How close Kiki came to being sacrificed!?"
"Please!" Monokuma pleaded. "Help me!"
I'd never help you!
"Is Four-Eyes over there really the Mastermind!?"
All the evidence so far points to Tsumugi as the Mastermind.
"I dunno anything!"
That's bullshit!
"I don't wanna! I don't wanna be deactivated!"
Tough toenails!
"Even if she is the culprit…"
Then she has to be the Mastermind.
"Hey! Let's just stop this!"
There's no way I can stop now!
"There's no evidence that she's the Mastermind!"
Shuichi zeroed in on Monokuma's desperate excuse. "I'll cut through your words!"
Kiki stared at Shuichi, her cheeks flush pink from hearing his passionate argument against Monokuma. Shuichi…
Before she could contemplate the matter further, the victorious detective continued "When we entered the Data Room, Ryoma and Tsumugi found a fingerprint scanner."
Ryoma nodded. "Yeah…we assumed it was used to create spares for Monokuma, but neither one of us could get it to work."
Shuichi's brow furrowed. "Ryoma…can you explain to us exactly how you and Tsumugi tried to activate the machine?"
Ryoma stared in confusion but shrugged. "Alright, I'll tell you what I can."
This should prove once and for all if I'm right or wrong…and if Tsumugi is or isn't the Mastermind!
"You said the machine involved a fingerprint scanner, correct?" Kirumi questioned, causing Ryoma to nod.
"Yeah, it was attached to this huge conveyor belt that wrapped around the Data Room."
"Supposedly, if you put a matching finger on the scanner, it'll make a Monokuma." Tsumugi explained.
"Okay, so how did you test it out?" Sokyu pressed.
"I tried all fingers, one at a time." Ryoma answered. "But it still never so much as booted up."
"And what about you, Tsumugi?" Keebo interrogated.
"Oh, I tried it once and gave up. I used my thumb to try and activate it."
"That's wrong!" Shuichi interjected, pointing accusingly at Tsumugi. "Tsumugi…why did you only use one finger?"
"Huh?" Sweating again, Tsumugi asked in turn "Isn't that what you're supposed to do? The fingerprint scanner will only accept one finger-"
"No." Shuichi shook his head. "Ryoma only said he tried one finger at a time. However, while Ryoma tried with every finger on his hands, you gave up after one try."
Kirumi's brow furrowed. "If we assume that Tsumugi is indeed the Mastermind…then the reason she only tried it out with one thumb…"
Gonta's eyes widened in shock. "…is because she didn't want to activate the machine in front of Ryoma and Shuichi and Kiki?!"
Shuichi nodded. "That's right. Had any of us been there, we would have at least tried all ten fingers, even if the possibility of activating it was highly unlikely. But Tsumugi only tried activating it with one. That must mean that the fingerprint scanner is programmed to accept one of Tsumugi's fingers, and she purposely avoided using that finger in our presence to hide her true identity as the Mastermind!"
"Ah!" Tsumugi gasped, stunned by Shuichi's deduction.
"You knew how to work the Monokuma Machine, didn't you? If you had used the correct finger, it would have made a spare." Shuichi narrowed his eyes in an icy cold glare. "Am I right, Tsumugi?"
Tsumugi shook in her podium, stunned silent by Shuichi's accusation. "Hey…" She finally uttered, grasping her left arm. "Come on…what's wrong?" She fluttered her eyelashes in a desperate attempt to appeal to the detective. "Don't be like that, Shuichi. Do you…really think I'm the Mastermind? Do you think so too, Kiki?"
Kiki grimaced, averting her eyes. Though she stayed silent, her grimace betrayed her suspicions.
"Th-There's just no way! Hey everyone, say something!" Tsumugi pleaded. "I'm not the Mastermind! That's crazy, right!?"
"Then refute it." Sokyu challenged, narrowing his eyes. "We're waiting."
"Huh…?"
"I…don't want to believe it either." Kiki finally found her voice. "That one of our friends, the survivors…could do this. That's why I'm begging, Tsumugi. I'm begging you to refute us. We might be wrong, we…we were wrong before, about Kaede…that's why we need everyone's help!" Kiki's desperate tears finally trickled down her cheeks. "I don't care if Shuichi's detective work is wrong, I want to hear your argument! Reaching the truth together is what cooperation means to me!"
Kiki crying pleas were only greeted with silence, the cosplayer unable to say anything. "Tsumugi, please." Keebo gently prodded.
"Tsumugi…please!" Gonta begged.
"…What's the matter?" Ryoma interrogated. "You can't argue back after hearing that?"
"Ooh!" Monokuma clapped with excitement. "We're at the good part now! Puhuhuhuhuhuhuhu…It's getting exciting. Shuichi and Kiki are trying to reveal the Mastermind…Trying to overcome despair…It's so…heart-pounding…"
While an angry vein pulsed in Kiki's forehead at Monokuma's commentary, Shuichi's brow furrowed in confusion. We have the Mastermind cornered, why is Monokuma so calm? He should be feeling cornered as well… Shuichi shook the thought away. …Forget it. We're on the offensive here. If we make the Mastermind's identity clear, all this will be settled.
Shuichi placed a hand on Kiki's shoulder, calming the young girl's anger. Taking a deep breath, she turned to Shuichi and wiped her eyes on her wrist. The two shared a silent nod, then turned their glares to the shaking Tsumugi.
It has to be you!
It must be you!
"Wait…" Koto shook his head in denial. "It's…it's a joke, right?"
"Yeah, it has to be a prank!" Kiri exclaimed. "Tsumugi…the Mastermind?!"
"It is hard to believe, I'll admit." Maki sighed. "Those two have been thick as thieves since they were six years old."
"Which is why Mother and I didn't say anything when we figured it out…" Mokubo bit his lip, conflict brewing in his eyes. "We didn't want to believe it…Tsumugi was always so nice, and she was Nee-chan's best friend. Her being the Mastermind, taking away Nee-chan's memories, trying to kill her…it doesn't make sense! But…" the boy sighed. "It's the truth."
"…Kyoko…?"
Makoto stared in worry at Kyoko. The former detective had her knuckles wedged beneath her teeth, a sign of the woman's rare anguish.
"Are you okay…?"
Removing her fist from her lips, Kyoko shook her head. "…How…? How could I have been so stupid, Makoto? I let the Mastermind of another Killing Game into my house, treated her like family, allowed her to spend untold hours with my baby girl. Why…why didn't I see her for what she was?!"
"Honey…remember, they were six when they met. I don't know when Tsumugi went off the deep end and decided to start a revival of the Killing Games…but I don't believe a six-year-old otaku girl was so messed up in the head when they met in elementary school. So please, don't blame yourself for this, okay?!"
Kyoko sighed, leaning into her husband's side. Makoto wrapped his arm around her waist, allowing the two to comfort each other as they processed the sting of betrayal they hadn't experienced since Junko murdered Jin Kirigiri.
Tsumugi Shirogane…why…? Makoto asked silently, knowing the cosplayer couldn't or wouldn't answer. Why did you betray the girl who stood by you through thick and thin? Why did you betray my daughter's trust? Betray our trust?!
"The Mastermind of this Killing Game…" Shuichi began.
"And the culprit who killed Rantaro…" Kiki continued before the duo raised their fingers at the silent cosplayer and narrowed their eyes in a mutual, heated glare.
"…is you, Tsumugi." They finished together, their voices hard and hurt. "There are no other possibilities."
The duo were met with continued silence. Eventually, Kiki pressed "You don't have anything to say…?"
"A-Anything to say…?" Tsumugi finally uttered. "Even if you keep saying all that stuff…I…still don't get it…" Tears trickled down her cheeks. "Hey, let's stop this already! You're mistaken! C-Cuz we're all friends, right!? Weren't we going to work together to end this Killing Game!?"
"This is a Class Trial!" Shuichi countered.
"Ah…!"
Kiki nodded sadly, hanging her head. "Although we were forced into these Class Trials by the Mastermind, that's how we survived! It was the only way…It was the only way we could survive!" She stared pleadingly at the stunned cosplayer. "So please, Tsumugi, refute the evidence! Say something! Your life depends on it…" Anguished tears streamed down her cheeks once more. "Please…"
Kiki was greeted only with silence. Kiki sighed, clenching her fists.
So…it's true then…there can't be any more doubt…Tsumugi…really is the…the Mastermind…
"Tsumugi…" Gonta insisted "Gonta doesn't wanna suspect you…Gonta wants to believe in you. Gonta wants the Mastermind to be somewhere else like in the previous Killing Games…So…" Gonta sniffled. "If you're really not the Mastermind then don't give up! Gonta will cheer you on!"
"E-Even…if you say that…"
"Puhuhu…" Monokuma giggled, cutting Tsumugi off. "Tsumugi is taking her sweet time, but waiting around is so boring…Hey, Shuichi, Kiki. Why don't we look over the case again?"
"What?" They asked incredulously as an angry vein pulsed in Sokyu's forehead.
"Hey! No backseat driving!"
Ignoring Sokyu's protests, Monokuma answered "C'mon, that's, like, your thing. Present the truth and end this. Cuz there are people who don't know what the heck is going on until we get to this part!" Monokuma pumped one clenched paw in the air. "Now then, let's start!"
Kiki and Shuichi's brows furrowed as they turned to each other. Though they both had reservations about jumping when Monokuma told them to, they had to admit to themselves that this was the best time to outline the case. With a heavy, reluctant nod, they took a deep breath.
"HERE'S THE TRUTH OF THIS CASE!"
"THIS IS THE TRUTH OF THE CASE!"
"With this new evidence…let's look back at Rantaro's murder." Kiki began.
"The night of the incident, Kaede, Kiki and I were in the 5th Floor Classroom. We were waiting for the Mastermind to trigger the trap we set in the Library." Shuichi continued.
"Around that time…there were numerous people in the Dining Hall…including the Mastermind. The Mastermind was probably irritated that no murders had yet occurred. After the motive was given, they knew that Kaede was planning something…But the Mastermind wanted some insurance. They would take action, if necessary. The Mastermind excused themselves from the Dining Hall and went to the bathroom. And from there, to the hidden room in the Library that only the Mastermind could enter."
"And there…they waited. Later that night, Rantaro moved the library's bookcase…which set off the receiver I was holding. It all happened the way we determined in the First Trial…except at the end…we ran out of the room, and Kaede rolled the shot put ball into the air vent."
"At the same time, Rantaro was lured by the flash of the hidden camera Kaede set. He unwittingly stepped right into the path of the shot. The shot rolled down the path Kaede made, and then…fell right onto Rantaro's head, killing him instantly…or so we thought. It turns out, that was just what the Mastermind wanted us to believe. In reality, Kaede's murder plan happened quite differently."
"The shot put ball that Kaede rolled didn't actually hit Rantaro…he must have been surprised, seeing a shot put ball drop out of nowhere like that. But his fate was sealed. The Mastermind saw that Kaede's plan failed, and stepped in to finish the job. The Mastermind jumped out of the Hidden Room and attacked Rantaro from behind! And in their hand, the real murder weapon – their own shot put ball."
"Rantaro wasn't killed by Kaede's shot, but by the Mastermind's. The Mastermind picked up Kaede's shot and left their shot put ball at the scene. They also looted the Willing Participant Perk Tablet from Rantaro's body. Those things in hand, they retreated back into the Hidden Room."
"I remember seeing the bookcase closing just as Kaede, Kiki, and I got there. The Mastermind had probably just finished their crime. And so, the real truth was perfectly hidden from us. We went to the Class Trial…and reached the truth that Kaede was the culprit. But that truth had been twisted by the Mastermind!"
"After the murder, the Mastermind left the stolen Tablet in a desk in the hidden room…and threw Kaede's shot put ball into the trashcan. A little careless of them…to not get rid of all the evidence. They probably believed no one would ever get into that room. But we did. Their crime complete, the Mastermind went back through the Hidden Elevator."
"The elevator allowed them to travel from the Hidden Room all the way to…the girls bathroom on the 5th floor! While the Mastermind was pretending to use the girls bathroom…they were actually using the Hidden Elevator System. That's how they moved around without being noticed."
"Anyone could have used the Hidden Elevator, not just the people in the Dining Hall. But looking at the survivors…only you could possibly be the Mastermind."
Nervous, Tsumugi pressed her glasses up against her nose in order to avoid Kiki and Shuichi's accusatory yet pleading glares.
"If we're wrong…" Shuichi offered.
"Please, refute us." Kiki begged before they raised their right pointer fingers to the guilty cosplayer.
"Please tell us you aren't the Mastermind, Tsumugi Shirogane!"
A/N: This chapter's AO3 counterpart will have an accompanying artwork drawn by RaandomArtNoises on Twitter when it goes live tomorrow, so feel free to check it out if you want.